From fourth on the grid, Cedric Leimer and Nicolas Navarro secured their first Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo victory as the series travelled to the Hungaroring, Hungary, on 21 August 2010. Two strong drives from the team-mates helped to put the Autovitesse Garage R. Affolter Suisse team on the top step of the series’ podium for the first time.

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During this morning’s qualifying session it was Black Bull Swiss Racing’s Mirko Venturi who secured pole position: the Italian Pro driver set a fastest lap time of 1:50.878 to put team-mate Tommaso Maino in the #46 on the front row. Hungarian FIA World Touring Car Championship pilot Norbert Michelisz, guest driver in the #1 Automobili Lamborghini VIP entry, secured the second fastest lap time of 1:51.592.

Italian gentleman driver Ferruccio Bellini, who is currently second in the Pro-Am standings, set the third fastest lap time of 1:52.255 to line up on the second row of the grid, while Leimer was slotted alongside after team-mate Navarro set a fastest lap of 1:52.345.

As the lights went green the pack charged towards the first corner: Maino in the #46 went wide and spun, putting him back to sixth place. From eighth on the grid it was Fabio Babini in the #22 MIK Corse entry who found his way through at the start to take the lead from Michelisz’s team-mate Giorgio Sanna in the #1 Automobili Lamborghini.

As the pitlane opened Sanna and Leimer entered to hand over to Michelisz and Navarro respectively. Babini continued to lead the field, establishing a respectable gap before pitting at the last available moment. However, he was not able to get back on-track before Navarro, who passed the pit exit first to claim the lead. Navarro continued to lead for the remainder of the race with Bellini second and Venturi chasing hard in third. On the final lap Venturi passed Bellini for second, but he was unable to catch Navarro ahead in the #63, who crossed the finish line first. Venturi had to settle for second place, with Piccioli third in the #22, as he also managed to pass Bellini on the final lap.

“This is the first time we raced with this car and we have already secured a victory, so this is fantastic,” said Navarro. “The car performed perfectly. During the race we tried to push as much as we could. I would like to say thanks to Cedric and the Autovitesse team for doing a great job. I dedicate this victory to Lionel Régal, who died last week during a race in Switzerland.”

After Michelisz handed over to his team-mate Sanna, the pair were forced to retire with a technical issue.

Blancpain Reiter Engineering's Marc A. Hayek and Peter Kox claimed two victories and a second-place finish at the first round of the 2010 Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo season at Hockenheim, Germany, on 23-25 April 2010. The duo was joined on the podium by Pro-Am drivers Eugenio Amos in the #69 Touringauto entry and Bonaldi Motorsport's Ferruccio Bellini in the #3, who both secured three podium finishes during the weekend.

Former Grand Prix driver and BBC commentator Martin Brundle made his Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo debut at the German track, accompanied in the #2 Automobili Lamborghini VIP race car by his 19-year-old son Alex. The pair claimed two fourth-place finishes in rounds two and three after a collision in the first race forced the Brundles into early retirement.

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Also competing this weekend was Sebastian Asch, son of German DTM legend Roland Asch, who got behind-the-wheel of the #1 Automobili Lamborghini VIP race car. Asch put in consistent drives to claim fourth, seventh and sixth-place finishes with team-mate Mario Fasanetto, while father Roland supported his son from the pit wall.

The new Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo season has attracted new teams Touringauto, Black Bull Swiss Racing, MIK Corse and Charouz-Gravity Racing to the world's fastest one-make series. Also joining the Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo family this season are new drivers Giovanni Berton, Jan Urban and Jan Stovicek.

QualifyingAt the first race weekend of the season, Black Bull Swiss Racing's Mirko Venturi put the #23 car on pole position, having set a fastest lap time of 1:43.209 around the German circuit. Fabio Babini set a fastest lap time of 1:43.941 to put the #22 MIK Corse entry alongside on the front row. The #24 Blancpain Reiter Engineering car started from the second row after Kox set the third fastest lap time of 1:44.083 with the #88 Charouz-Gravity Racing Super Trofeo driven by Jarek Jani? and Stovicek completing row two.

The #1 Automobili Lamborghini VIP car started on the third row of the grid after Sebastian Asch set a fastest lap of 1:44.400. Lacko qualified the #99 alongside, while M. Brundle set the ninth fastest lap time of 1:45.301.

After his first Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo outing, M. Brundle commented: "The car is very fast and great fun, although it will be a challenge for both Alex and I; especially for Alex, as he's never driven a car like this before. Racing with 570 hp in a car that weighs just 1330 kg will be a vertical learning curve for him but extremely exciting."

Round oneAt the start, Giorgio Bartocci took the lead behind-the-wheel of the #22 while Venturi's team-mate and pole-sitter Invernizzi in the #23 Black Bull Swiss Racing car slipped back to third place. Hayek in the #24 climbed to second, while a collision between the #77 Charouz-Gravity Racing entry, piloted by Urban, and the #2 Automobili Lamborghini VIP car of A. Brundle forced both cars into early retirement.

Touringauto driver Amos made a strong start from 10th on the grid, improving his position by four places on lap 1, and while Fasanetto in the #1 Automobili Lamborghini VIP car put pressure on the #23, Amos took advantage and passed both to move up to third.

Current leader, the #22 suffered a puncture, allowing the #24 to take the lead, but after the mandatory pit stop the Blancpain Reiter Engineering car was issued with a drive-through penalty placing Amos in the lead. Amos maintained his position to claim his first Super Trofeo victory, followed by Kox behind-the-wheel of the #24, with lone Pro-Am driver Bellini in the #3 Bonaldi Motorsport entry third. By the chequered flag Asch, who took over from team-mate Fasanetto, had managed to pass the #23 to finish fourth, making him the highest-placing Super Trofeo rookie.

"It was a fantastic race!" said Amos, who is Sales Manager for Lamborghini Centro Milano. "At the beginning I was trying to push as fast as I could, but after the first three or four laps of chasing the #22 MIK Corse for the lead, I couldn't keep up with the pace. Then Bartocci made a mistake and I managed to overtake."

Round twoAmos started from pole in race two, but fell back to third during the first lap, allowing the #24 Blancpain Reiter Engineering car to take the lead, with the #1 Automobili Lamborghini VIP entry second.

Having started 13th, M. Brundle drove the #2 Automobili Lamborghini VIP car through the field, gaining six positions by lap 10, when he pitted to hand over the wheel to his team-mate. A. Brundle then continued his father's charge, climbing to secure a strong fourth place.

Ahead, Hayek in the #24 Super Trofeo race car maintained the lead to claim the chequered flag ahead of Amos in second, while Bellini completed the podium.

"The car's performance is fantastic," said Kox. "Reiter Engineering have done a fantastic job. You should always have a goal in everything you do, and for us, our aim is the series title, so we've made a promising start."

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Round threeFrom pole, the #24 Blancpain Reiter Engineering car charged off the start line to take the lead followed by Amos and M. Brundle in the #2. M. Brundle slipped back to fourth on the second lap when he was passed by Venturi in the #23, and soon felt the pressure from Babini in the #22, who was running in fifth.

The pair continued to battle for six laps before the #22 car went wide, and rejoined the pack in sixth place. M. Brundle senior entered the pits on lap 13 and handed the wheel over to A. Brundle. Back on track, A. Brundle began gaining on the #22 which had managed to get ahead during the pit stops, but spun the #2 Automobili Lamborghini VIP car. He rejoined the race in sixth place, and managed to climb back up to fourth before the chequered flag.

Kox's team-mate Hayek crossed the finish line first to claim their second win of the day, with Amos second and Italian Bellini securing third place, his third of the weekend. Babini's team-mate Bartocci claimed fifth in the #22 MIK Corse behind A. Brundle, with Asch securing sixth for Automobili Lamborghini.

"We've had an amazing first weekend," said Marc A. Hayek, Pro-Am driver of the #24, and President and CEO of Blancpain. "We had to work very hard: we knew that the competition was tough last year, but with the new teams and drivers the grid is extremely strong.

"As title sponsor of the Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo, we are proud to be involved with a series that's so competitive, which you can clearly see in the races," continued Hayek. "We've received fantastic feedback, and this year we have some great events planned, so we're looking forward to a very exciting season ahead."

The next Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo race weekend takes place at Brno, Czech Republic on 21-23 May 2010, partnering the newly-formed FIA GT1 World Championship.

Former Grand Prix driver and BBC commentator Martin Brundle, together with his son Alex, got behind-the-wheel of a Lamborghini Super Trofeo VIP race car for the first time as the 2010 season began for the world's fastest one-make series in Hockenheim, Germany. The Brundles will start from the fifth row of the grid in the first of three 40-minute Super Trofeo races, having set the ninth fastest lap time of 1:45.301.Starting from pole position tomorrow will be the #23 Black Bull Swiss Racing car driven by Mirko Venturi and Andrea Invernizzi, which set a fastest lap time of 1:43.209 around the German circuit. Alongside will be Fabio Babini and Giorgio Bertocci in the #22 MIK Corse, with Blancpain Reiter Engineering's #24, piloted by Marc A. Hayek and Peter Kox, with the #88 Charouz-Gravity Racing driven by Jarek Jani? and Petr Charouz completing the two front rows of the grid. The #1 Automobil Lamborghini VIP car of Mario Fasanetto and Sebastian Asch will start on the third row of the grid alongside the #99 of Charouz-Gravity Racing, driven by Petr Charouz and Adam Lacko.

After his first Super Trofeo outing, Martin Brundle commented: "The car is very fast and great fun, although it will be a challenge for both Alex and I; especially for Alex, as he's never driven a car like this before. Racing with 570 hp in a car that weighs just 1330 kg will be a vertical learning curve for him but extremely exciting. Although we've raced against each other, tomorrow will be the first time that we've competed together, so will be a new experience for both of us, and one I'm very much looking forward to."The first Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo race of 2010 will begin at 18:00 (CET) on Saturday 24 April 2010 at the Hockenheimring, Germany, partnering Europe's most popular touring car series, DTM. Qualifying results ? provisional

Next week the world's fastest one-make series, the Lamborghini Blancpain SuperTrofeo, will return to the race track after a successful inaugural season in 2009. Ahost of roaring Super Trofeos will charge around the Hockenheimring, Germany, atthe season-opener on 24-25 April 2010, supporting Europe's most popular touringcar series, DTM.

With competition close last year, professional and ?gentlemen' drivers will once againbattle for position behind-the-wheel of Super Trofeo race cars, lightweight versionsof the Gallardo LP 560-4.

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Teams already confirmed for the coming season include Reiter Engineering, whichsecured second place in the 2009 Teams' Championship, while new Swiss outfitBlack Bull Racing will make its Super Trofeo debut in Hockenheim. 2009 Pro-AmDrivers' Champion Claudio Rossetto will also compete, having secured seven racevictories for team Petri Corse last year.

"I had a fantastic 2009 season," said Rossetto. "The competition was tough but wepersevered and managed to fend off our closest rivals to take the Pro-Am Driver,Pro Driver and Team titles. Racing in a Lamborghini is a fantastic experience, andhaving had such an amazing time last year, we will come back even more confidentand motivated for 2010."

"The second Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo season is highly anticipated," saidLamborghini's Director of Brand and Design, Manfred Fitzgerald. "We're excited tosee new teams join the Super Trofeo family for 2010, while competitors from lastseason will return to defend their honours. The on-track battles were extremelyclose in 2009, and we're set for another thrilling season ahead."

Marc A. Hayek, President and CEO of Blancpain, the series' title sponsor,commented: "This second season looks eventful and I'm really looking forward to it,starting with the first races in Hockenheim, where the circuit is extremely technicaland very fast. I am confident about the results, which we'll be trying to improve stillfurther this year."

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